1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of fumigation and, more particularly, to a mobile temperature-controlled chamber for fumigating perishable and non-perishable goods at ports of entry or departure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of perishable goods incoming to the United States from foreign locations must be inspected at the port of entry for insect contamination. In the conventional practice, the goods are off-loaded from a ship or airplane and inspected by customs and, in the United States, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials. If the presence of insects is detected, a sample insect is sent to, for example, the Smithsonian, for classification. In the event the insect has not already been introduced into the U.S., the goods bearing the insects must be fumigated to kill any remaining insects or destroyed. Accordingly, the goods, still waiting at the port of entry, are loaded onto a truck and transported to one of several fixed fumigation sites where they are unloaded and placed into a fumigation chamber. Following fumigation, the goods are reloaded onto the truck for shipment to their intended destination.
There are several problems with the conventional method. First, the goods often sit in hot warehouses at the port of entry for approximately 48 hours while the insects are identified. The insects continue to live and propagate during this period of delay. When fumigation is necessary, the goods are subjected to multiple loading and unloading sequences, i.e., onto the truck for transport, off the truck for fumigation, onto the truck for transport, etc. Furthermore, after fumigation, the goods are often reloaded onto the same truck which brought them to the fumigation site with no assurance that some of the insects did not remain in the truck when the goods were unloaded prior to fumigation. Prior to fumigation, there is no assurance that insects will not escape to the environment during transfers.
In view of the foregoing, one object of the present invention is to streamline the process of transporting and fumigating perishable goods through the use of a mobile fumigation chamber.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mobile fumigation chamber that provides temperature-controlled storage and transport to better preserve perishable goods.
A further object of the invention is to reduce the labor necessary to complete the fumigation sequence by requiring goods to be loaded and unloaded from the transporting vehicle only once.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a convenient, cost-effective, safer and more secure alternative to traditional fixed fumigation sites by allowing imported goods to be fumigated right at the port of entry, minimizing the risk of insect contamination that might otherwise occur in the areas en route to a traditional fumigation site.
Yet another object of the invention is to prevent reinfestation of insects within fumigated goods that can occur due to transport of the goods in the same truck that was originally used to haul the pre-fumigated goods to the fumigation site.
In accordance with this and other objects, the present invention is directed to a mobile fumigation chamber and method of fumigating perishable goods incoming from a foreign point of origin. The mobile fumigation chamber is self-contained, having its own power source, and provides temperature-controlled storage on-site at the port of entry as well as full transport capability. According to the present invention, perishable goods can be loaded once into the mobile fumigation chamber where they are fumigated in a temperature-controlled environment and then transported with no further handling or exposure to the elements required until reaching the ultimate point of destination.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.